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Thanks For All The Info!

I've been lurking here for a couple months now, learning a lot. You guys are really a helpful bunch of people.

This was my 8th season opening my above ground pool. But, this time was a little different. After we closed and covered it last fall, we noticed the inner tube in the center gradually getting deeper and deeper in the pool. And, in just two weeks it was on the bottom; zero water. We had found the 3/4" little tear in the liner, right where the cove meets the floor, during the season and tried in vain to patch it underwater. We just kept adding water till we closed, fully expecting to have a new liner installed at opening time this season.

The new liner was installed the 12th of June, but this time, I had new gladon white pool cove and a "Liner Shield" pool floor pad (lifetime puncture guarantee) installed with it. After they reworked the sand and got everything installed, this was ten times better than the initial pool install! For the first time in 8 years the bottom is flat with not one dent, wrinkle, or footprint, and comfortable on the feet. My Sta-Rite 'Lil shark actually cleans now without one hangup!

Now to the chemicals; no more stabilized tri-chlor after 7 years of it and constant CYA problems. It's BBB for us now. And it was everybody's posts here that got me to a perfectly balanced pool.

I had been using Borax and Baking Soda since my second season, but with trichlor tabs. I've also had my Taylor 2005 kit for the past 4 years. But, it was still that build-up of CYA that was driving me nuts. So, this season, I found this site, and now things are simple again.

I made a big mistake after the new liner was full and I got the pump running. My PH was low, and for some reason unkwown, I added Baking Soda instead of Borax. Wow, what that did to my TA! But, no fear, using what I learned here, I quickly got all things right. I never knew of the MA method of lowering PH and aerating to bring it back up as the TA was being dropped. I have a water slide and a fountain on my return which was more than enough aeration to do the job quickly.

So, thanks again to everyone here for all the useful information, pool school, etc. I can relax now. I'm running my pump on a 6hr on/ 6hr off cycle getting 12 hrs circulation per day,adding bleach at start of each night 6 hr cycle.

Re: Thanks For All The Info!

As you requested.......... a pic. Only have one that I took of the new liner for now. (before we put the steps back in) I'll get some wide angle shots showing the deck I built, the landscaping, and pump/filter set-up later.